The assisted living housing units proposed for Moab by Bee Hive Homes range in size from 182 to 204 square feet and include private bathroom facilities. This architect’s drawing shows the basic layout of the proposed facility. Image courtesy of Bee Hive Homes

A 16-unit assisted living facility is coming to Moab, albeit slightly behind schedule.

Canyonlands Health Care Special Service District (CHCSSD) board chairman Doug Fix said that Bee Hive Homes is advancing its year-old plans to build the facility on district-owned property behind the Grand Center.

“They have signed a contract to purchase the property, and they are moving forward,” Fix said July 7.

Bee Hive Homes co-owner Dennis Toland said his company has already put down “earnest money” for the 2.5-acre property. It’s now hoping to start work on the residential-style facility some time this fall.

“If we get our wish, that would be our target date,” Toland said July 8.

The Boise, Idaho-based company still has to fine-tune its plans with the city of Moab, the CHCSSD and other entities, although Toland said he doesn’t expect that will be a problem.

“Moab has been wonderful to work with,” he said.

Canyonlands Care Center Administrator Roy Barraclough said the facility would likely be developed in two phases, as originally proposed last year.

“I’m pretty sure that there have been no substantive changes to the project,” Barraclough said July 9.

Toland told the CHCSSD’s board in May 2013 that Bee Hive would build a second 16-unit home on the site two to four years after the first phase is finished.

The idea for an assisted living home in Moab first arose as Toland’s company prepared to break ground on a similar project in Grand Junction, Colorado. At the time, Toland said he heard from Moab-area transplants who were eager to return to Grand County.

“I met several families over there who want to come home,” he told The Times-Independent last year.

In addition to its brand-new facility in Grand Junction, the company owns 50 assisted living homes throughout Utah, and it has similar facilities in 13 other states.

While its services vary from location to location, Toland said the company’s Moab project is modeled on hybrid facilities that offer care to Level II residents, as well as people with dementia. The Moab facility would also accept some residents with low-level Alzheimer’s disease, as long as those people do not show signs of aggressive behavior, he said.

Level II residents are still relatively independent and self-sufficient, yet may need help with some daily activities, Toland said.

Bee Hive’s staff, including certified nursing assistants and an on-call nurse, would offer those residents round-the-clock care. Among other things, they would dispense medications, as needed, while helping out with housekeeping chores and preparing home-cooked meals, Toland said.

Residents would live in private one-bedroom units that range in size from 182- to 204-square-feet. They would have their own bathrooms, Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible showers, walk-in closets and cable TV hookups, according to Toland.

“We do everything family-style,” he said.

Common areas, including activity and dining rooms, would also be set up to make residents feel at ease, he said.

“When people come in, it looks and feels more like home,” Toland said.

Monthly costs are expected to range from $2,100 for residents who need minimal care to $3,400 for those with memory loss, excluding additional expenses for medication and clothing. That compares to an average nationwide cost of $3,022 per month, according to the Assisted Living Federation of America.

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